Ontario health officials say a woman who arrived in Canada from China last week has a presumptive case of the novel coronavirus, known as COVID-19.
The woman went to North York General Hospital’s emergency department at the advice of Telehealth Ontario with an intermittent cough after arriving in the country on Friday.
Health officials say the woman was cared for and tested for the virus before being discharged into self-isolation. They say Toronto Public Health was notified and has been following up with the patient.
The results of the test came back positive on Sunday and further testing will be done at the National Microbiology Lab in Winnipeg for confirmation.
Officials say there is a low risk the woman was infectious given her clinical assessment and history. They say she “followed all protocols” and wore a mask throughout her travels back to Toronto and, since landing, has had very limited exposure to others.
The province is coordinating with local public health units to ensure the passengers who were in close proximity to the woman on the plane are contacted and monitored.
“Because of all the proper protocols and procedures that are in place to contain this virus and exposure to others was limited, I want to assure the public that the risk to Ontarians remains low,” said Dr. David Williams, Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health. “Protecting the health and well-being of individuals and families across the province remains our top priority and we continue to vigilantly monitor for and contain any and all new cases.”
Ontario’s first three cases of the virus are all resolved, with each of those patients having two consecutive negative tests at least 24 hours apart.
Williams will hold a news conference at 9 a.m. Monday alongside Dr. Barbara Yaffe, Associate Chief Medical Officer of Health and Dr. Eileen de Villa, Medical Officer of Health for Toronto, to provide an update on the situation.